Kodak P850 Shutter Lag

[allie5]

Hi guys

I wonder if you can help. I have two cameras at the moment - a Kodak P850 and a Canon Ixus 800IS. Ive had the Kodak a little over a year and it takes fantastic pictures with its 12x zoom. Problem is, the shutter lag is horrific - so much so, on my last trip to WDW in Dec, I took nearly 1000 shots with my Canon and maybe 120 ish with the Kodak as it was so slooooooooow.

Is there ANYTHING that can be done to help fix this problem or is an intrinisic wrinkle with the camera?

Thanks!

Allie

 

[tinksdad]

The P&S cameras are notorious about shutter lag. Some more so than others, (which you've experienced). I got feed up with it and moved to a DSLR......

 

[ukcatfan]

You can do a half press pre-focus/pre-exposure lock to make it work faster when you know a shot is coming, but that does not help with a spur of the moment shot.

Like the other Kevin just said, the best solution to this problem is a DSLR. That was one of the reasons that I got mine.

Kevin

 

[Miqee]

THe majority of Kodak point and shoot cameras that i have tried have very bad shutter lag. In the nursery where I work we have a kodak camera and we continually miss great shots of the kids because of the lag.

Only way to get round this is to be quick and hope!

Colin

 

[allie5]

Thanks - yeah, DH has said I can get a DSLR (woohoo) but with 3 kids, its nice to have smaller cameras "ready to go" sometimes. I love the photos I get with the Kodak - its pin sharp, even at max zoom but its a pain to use.

Ok then what DSLR should I get???

 

[ukcatfan]

Thanks - yeah, DH has said I can get a DSLR (woohoo) but with 3 kids, its nice to have smaller cameras "ready to go" sometimes. I love the photos I get with the Kodak - its pin sharp, even at max zoom but its a pain to use.

Ok then what DSLR should I get???

I believe that you just opened the flood gates. Let me try to be the first to say Pentax K100D. It is relatively inexpensive, has IS built into the body, a nice large LCD, and it just feels good in my hand compared to others. A weak point of it is that it cannot take too many rapid fire shots in a row without slowing down. That feature is good for action shots such as sports.

Any DSLR is going to be good, but certain ones are better for certain people, so tell us what you are looking for and we can help guide you.

Kevin

 

[allie5]

OK, thanks Kevin.

Well, I have an old Canon EOS (non digital) and I was told that I can use the lenses from that on the new Canon DSLRs. Not sure if this is true or not, but if it is, I maybe slightly swayed in this direction (although I am not completely blinkered, and would definately consider another brand if it suited my needs).

What I need: lightweight, easy to use quickly if needed(NO SHUTTER LAG LOL!!), as well as a decent manual system. My main subjects will be children and macro work (flowers, animals, insects). Id need a decent zoom lens. Ive had a few people ask me to do shots of their kids, so something that I can use with good results on a limited semi pro basis. My budget would probably be around $2000 -which I realise isnt a lot in the world of pro cameras, but I would have thought would be enough to get something decent to start with!.

 

[ukcatfan]

OK, thanks Kevin.

Well, I have an old Canon EOS (non digital) and I was told that I can use the lenses from that on the new Canon DSLRs. Not sure if this is true or not, but if it is, I maybe slightly swayed in this direction (although I am not completely blinkered, and would definately consider another brand if it suited my needs).

What I need: lightweight, easy to use quickly if needed(NO SHUTTER LAG LOL!!), as well as a decent manual system. My main subjects will be children and macro work (flowers, animals, insects). Id need a decent zoom lens. Ive had a few people ask me to do shots of their kids, so something that I can use with good results on a limited semi pro basis. My budget would probably be around $2000 -which I realise isnt a lot in the world of pro cameras, but I would have thought would be enough to get something decent to start with!.

I am not all that familiar with the Canon line, but you should post what the lenses are and I am sure someone will tell you if they would work. I stayed away from Canon b/c I could only afford the Rebel line and I did not like the feel/layout of them. The next step up is currently the 30D, which is very nice.

For lightweight and DSLR, you might want to check the Rebel line b/c they are a little on the smaller side. There is also the new Nikon D40 that is probably the smallest around. It is limited in the lenses available for it though, so do your homework. My Pentax is a little larger than the Rebels, but many complain that the Rebels are too small. It is just a matter of taste. Go out and handle some in person to get your feel.

There are some small differences in shutter lag among the DSLRs, but they all blow away p&s cameras, so that is probably not something that you need to worry about too much. Also, every DSLR has full manual modes. They is how they are intended to be used even though many do have auto and scene modes.

I am assuming that you mean portrait photos of friend's kids. If so, every brand offers a good and relatively cheap 50mm prime that is good for that. You might want to consider a flash unit for this also. Pretty much all of the brands have a wide assortment of lenses. It just depends on how much you spend on the lenses. You should try to have everything decided, esentially as a package, before buying the first thing. You would not want to buy almost everything just to find out that last piece you need costs too much in the brand you picked.

I am sure there will be plenty of Nikon and Canon info to come later by others.

Kevin

P.S. Being outside the US, the Canon Rebels are proabaly called the 300D, 350D, and 400D where you live

 

[jann1033]

any canon eos lens, film or digital, (it'll say ef or ef-s somewhere on the lens but if you used it with a eos film it 'll work )can be used with the present dslr line from canon..( unless you are planning on shelling out $3000-6000 for a full frame body like the mark ll, then you can't use the efs )if it's a 3rd party ie sigma, you may need to get it re chipped to work with the digital. you can email the manufacturier on their website and they can tell you if it needs re chipped..it's cheap, like $10 plus shipping but my lens which was lousy as a film was as lousy as a digital ( sigma 28-80)

the rebel is smaller and lighter than the Nikon for sure( just playing with one yesterday). i have yet to see the pentax in the flesh but the nikon is to large for my evidently shrimpy hands. and i can only speak for canon but it has a full set of auto controls so if you want to just take a snapshot fast , just put it in auto or p for program. the control dial for the rebel xt ( and i think it's the same for the rebel xti) is pretty much the same as the old eos dials.
the xti costs a little more but if you are thinking of portraits some of the features of the 580 flash don't work with the rebel xt, just the xti ( modeling light and something else, maybe exposure bracketing)

 

[Miqee]

get yourself to a camera shop and try all of the ones in your price range. If it does not feel right then it's not for you. Once you've found one you want check to see if you can get a better deal online.

Colin

 

[boBQuincy]

I have two nice P&S cameras available but once you get used to the (almost) instant response of the SLR it is hard to go back. Add in the speed and precision of the manual zoom and it's easy to see why we put up with the size and weight.

And we haven't even started on the much cleaner high ISO yet... or RAW... or...

 

[Groucho]

Wait-wait-wait-wait, slow down, everybody.

Shutter lag is not a reason to go for a DSLR. Well, I mean, it sort of is... but not really.

Current PnS cameras have shutter lag times that rival DSLRs. Heck, maybe even beat them occasionally.

Shutter lag is mainly caused by mechanical movement of focusing. DSLRs, unless in manual focus mode, still need to focus. If it's really dark, they can still hunt for focus, just like a PnS. You will be disappointed if you buy a DSLR and expect it to instantly take a quality, focused picture, no matter what.

 

[allie5]

Wait-wait-wait-wait, slow down, everybody.

Shutter lag is not a reason to go for a DSLR. Well, I mean, it sort of is... but not really.

Current PnS cameras have shutter lag times that rival DSLRs. Heck, maybe even beat them occasionally.

Shutter lag is mainly caused by mechanical movement of focusing. DSLRs, unless in manual focus mode, still need to focus. If it's really dark, they can still hunt for focus, just like a PnS. You will be disappointed if you buy a DSLR and expect it to instantly take a quality, focused picture, no matter what.

I appreciate your points. My main reason on getting a DSLR isnt because of shutter lag on the kodak - I want to experiment more and the features of a DSLR will allow me to do this. I know to get great results I will need to put some effort in! I intend to carry my compacts as well, so if I see a shot I want to take instantly, I will probably whip out my little Canon Ixus 800!

 

[Groucho]

I appreciate your points. My main reason on getting a DSLR isnt because of shutter lag on the kodak - I want to experiment more and the features of a DSLR will allow me to do this. I know to get great results I will need to put some effort in! I intend to carry my compacts as well, so if I see a shot I want to take instantly, I will probably whip out my little Canon Ixus 800!

OK, OK, I just think sometimes people feel like that have to have a DSLR when it's not the ideal fit for them. But if you are after the more advanced features, then it's definitely worthwhile.

Then comes the big decision - which brand? I favor Pentax for a number of reasons, others favor Nikon or Canon (and one or two, even Sony! ) for their own reasons. They all can produce terrific photos and if your budget is $2,000 US, that's way more than you realistically need to spend. You should easily be able to get by with half that for the basic camera, kit lens, and one or two additional lenses. Of course, if your budget is 2,000 pounds (I don't know how to make the pounds symbol on my keyboard ) then you're even farther ahead!

If you had a sizable investment in existing 35mm lenses, that should definitely affect your decision, but there are other factors, too. Old lenses generally sell pretty well on eBay and you may wish to go for newer lenses anyway, to take advantage of newer features.